A Fur to a Bear

Years ago, women accessorized with fur coats, stoles, and capes especially for occasions like weddings, dinners and holidays. 

The fur fashion trend peaked from the 1930s through the late 1950s. It seemed to represent luxury and glamour, popularized by movie stars of the times. In the 1920s, fur became a staple of Hollywood style and evening wear. In the 1940s-50s, a fur stole was considered a symbol of elegance worn for day and evening affairs and sometimes featuring animal heads and tails. Wearing fur was less popular in the 1960s and years after due to various concerns, mainly ethical and environmental.

In recent years, real fur has experienced a comeback with social media sites popularizing the trend. Influencers have been showing vintage pieces worn with casual outfits. Preowned vintage fur is seen as a sustainable, guilt-free, and stylish option as many major brands and designers, Gucci, Prada and Chanel continue to ban new fur.

Because of the cost, fur was not part of most everyday, non-Hollywood wardrobes. Some women saved up to purchase such a costly accessory. 

My mother was one such woman. She was a homemaker and enjoyed dressing up when she and my father attended annual conventions for his trade (electrical contractor) or when they went to formal affairs. She very stylish as shown in these 1930s photos.

My late mother enjoyed stylish fashions of the time

In the mid-1950s, she bought a fur stole from a department store in my hometown of Plainfield, NJ. As this was an extravagant purchase, she bought in on a payment plan as shown by a receipt she kept with the fur.

My mother died over 10 years ago. My brother and I settled her estate and cleared out our childhood home. Many household items and clothing were either discarded, donated or sold. However, the fur (shown on the right) was not one of those items.

Until last week, it was stored in a closet here in Nashua, NH. Opening the closet door brought bittersweet memories, mostly good ones, of my mother's joy when she wore it.

My late parents dressed up and going out

It would never be worn again and it was long past time to do something with it. So, last week, I sent it to Dayton, OH.

Why?

Because a fairy godmother will transform my mother’s fur into a memory teddy bear. I found Fairy Godmother Creations through an online search. (There are other sites that offer similar conversions, but this one impressed me the most). According to its website: Fairy Godmother Creations can convert your clothing, fur coat or wedding dress into heirloom gifts that tie generations together. 

According to the website information, fairy godmother, Liane, has been creating these bears for over 25 years. The website included a phone number so that anyone interested in speaking to a human could contact her.

I called Liane and, during our chat, received instructions on how to package and send the fur. (The website contains order forms with complete instructions and costs.) She assured me that an email would be sent when it arrived, 2 days that email came. 

It could take a few months for the conversion from fur to teddy bear. As for the cost, it's not inexpensive — $185 with an added $16 for return shipping in addition to the cost of sending. To me, this expense is priceless.

And, I can wait. After 10 years, time won't make a difference. Once the bear is done and before mailing, an email will be sent with a photo. 

When the teddy bear arrives at its new home, of course, there will be a future photo post, so bear with me (pun intended). But, before then, I need to think about its name.

Your turn — Do you name inanimate objects in your home ?